21st May 1992

Alex couldn't remember being so stressed in her life.

The end-of-year exams were only a week ahead and she couldn't help but feel she had suddenly forgotten every piece of magic she knew. Even Ron had started to take to the library!

Oh how she wished that exams would be cancelled.

'Maybe there could be a break-in," she thought as she pored over a dull book on the first ten goblin wars. 'Maybe a murderer could come in and we'd be so busy fighting him, we wouldn't have to do exams!"

Maybe she should have wished a little less.

2nd June 1992

Harry was at Hagrid's again.

Alexandra wondered if Harry would come back growing fangs or a tail.

'Likely, with how much time Hagrid spends with magical creatures,' she thought, snickering.

However, instead of growing useless animalistic appendages, he ran in looking unbelievably worried. More than any 11-year-old should, well unless there were exams, anyways.

"Alex, ALEX we've got to get the stone. TONIGHT." he puffed "Get Hermione and Ron, we'll fit under the cloak,"

"Harry, what's got into you? What about the dog? How are we going to get past him? Really Harry, you've got to think-"

"Alexandra, now is not the time," he growled, "Hagrid told me how to get past Fluffy and if we don't grab the stone, Voldemort will!"

Of course Hagrid would name that beast Fluffy, though perhaps being half-giant he didn't find it half as menacing.

Alex was scared, she ran up the girls dorms to get Hermione and Harry ran up the boys dorms to get Ron.

"Harry thinks Voldemort's trying to get the stone, he knows how to get past the dog, so we're going. Tonight." she summarised.

"Oh alright," Hermione said, "Do you think I can bring a book along or will this be too dangerous?"

Alex looked at her like she had grown horns.

It was now well past curfew and Alexandra headed down to the common room with Hermione, waiting for the boys. Harry and Ron came thumping down the stairs only a few minutes later,

'What are you doing?' said a voice from the corner of the room. Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but there.

'Nothing, Neville, nothing,' said Harry, hurriedly putting the Cloak behind his back.
Neville stared at their guilty faces.

'You're going out again,' he said.

'No, no, no,' said Hermione. 'No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?'

Alexandra agreed nodding her head, "Yeah, come on Neville, this is all a dream, just walk upstairs and you'll be just fine,"

Turns out faux hypnotism wasn't the answer.

'You can't go out-' said Neville, '-you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble.'

'You don't understand,' said Harry.

'This is important.' said Alex.

But Neville was clearly readying himself to do something desperate and stupid.

'I won't let you do it,' he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. 'I'll – I'll fight you!'

'Neville,' Ron exploded, 'get away from that hole and don't be an idiot –'

'Don't you call me an idiot!' said Neville. 'I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!'

'Yes, but not to us,' said Ron in exasperation. 'Neville, you don't know what you're doing.'

He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight.

'Go on then, try and hit me!' said Neville, raising his fists. 'I'm ready!'

"Neville, you're being daft, why can't you just let us go?" snapped Alexandra.

Harry turned to Hermione. "Do something," he said desperately.

"Come on then, hit m-"

"Incarcerous," Alexandra said, as ropes bound Neville tightly from head to toe.

'Neville,' Hermione said. 'I'm really, really sorry about this.' She raised her wand. 'Petrificus Totalus!' she cried, pointing it at Neville.

"What've you done to him?" Harry whispered.

"It's the full Body-Bind," said Hermione miserably. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry."

"We had to, Neville, no time to explain," said Harry.

"You'll understand later, Neville," said Ron as they stepped over him and pulled on the invisibility cloak.

The four of them were tightly huddled in the cloak. Turns out four children was a rather tight fit.

"Ron you're stepping on my foot," groaned Harry.

"Sorry mate, there's not much space,"

"Well, we're here now." said Alex, flinging the cloak off.

"Okay, remember the plan, I've got the flute and Alex? You're gonna play it the minute I unlock the door, kay?"

"Ye-"

"Guys, bloody hell, the door's already unlocked.

The four of them looked at each other, before Harry nervously opened the door, to find the dog sleeping peacefully, far away from the trapdoor.

Turns out Snape's gotten there before them.

"We have to hurry!" hissed Hermione as Ron ran to open the trapdoor.

They opened the trapdoor to find a vacuum, there seemed to be nothing but a long fall.

"Who's going in first?" asked Alexandra, fidgeting.

"Not me," said Ron.

Hermione sighed in disappointment, "Honestly, you call yourselves Gryffindors." she muttered, before jumping in.

"It's not a long fall," called Hermione. "Hurry!"

Alexandra took a deep breath. And pushed Harry and Ron in.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" they screamed, before landing softly.

"Ok, so it's safe," she thought, before falling in.

Never mind.

"IT'S GETTING TIGHTER!" shouted Ron panicking.

"OF COURSE!" exclaimed Hermione, "It's devil's snare! What did Professor Sprout say? Devil's snare, it likes the dark and the damp."

"SO LIGHT A FIRE!" yelled Harry, feeling extremely constricted.

Alex focused on her breathing and fell right through.

"ALEX!" they shouted.

"I'm fine! You just have to relax!" she called, from underneath.

"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO RELAX, I'M GOING TO DIE!" shouted Ron.

"I DON'T HAVE ANY WOOD!" cried Hermione, wringing her hands.

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" bellowed Ron, "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?!"

"Oh right, INCENDIO."

The trio fell through and Alex shook her head.

"Good job Hermione," she said, helping her up.

"Honestly, no wood." grumbled Ron.

"Shut it," growled the other three.

They were walking through the dark corridor when they came across a door.

"You reckon there'll be some sort of magical creature behind?"

"Well we have to go in either way," said Hermione.

Luckily for them, it wasn't a dragon or a werewolf.

It was just pixies.

Pixies?

Wait, keys?

"There's a broom over there," said Harry, "I think we'll have to get the key to unlock the door."

Obviously there had to be another door.

"How'll you know which ones the right key?" asked Ron.

"It has to be old, and rusted, like the door." answered Hermione.

"Chances are it'll probably match the keyhole, so look for something golden." agreed Alex.

"THERE IT IS!" pointed Harry, mounting the broom.

"Be careful!" Alex cried, after the keys began swatting at him, trying to stop him.

'Wait a minute," thought Alex, 'Professor Snape can't fly, there must be an alternati-'

Harry had already caught the key and Ron and Hermione were hurrying to the now unlocked door.

They then entered a room full of statues. They looked like the Hogwarts knights.

Was the floor checkered?

They tried to walk across the floor to the door, only to nearly be impaled by a knight.

"Chess!" said Ron.

'Chess?' thought Alexandra? 'Life sized chess? Wizarding chess?'

This wasn't going to end well.

As was expected, Ron took the lead being the best at chess out of the four. He played a knight while Harry took place of King.

A good metaphor, to be honest.

"Harry, you're going to checkmate."

"NO!" shouted Harry and Hermione. Alex's eyes widened when she realised Ron was going to sacrifice himself.

The only way to win the game was for the Queen to take the knight.

Not take, smash.

"Ron, you can't" argued Alex, "Think of your family, you'll be lucky to survive!"

"Do you wanna stop Snape from getting that Stone or not? Harry, Alex, it's you two that have to go on. I know it! Not me! Not Hermione!" he said as he made his move, falling off his seat, nearly unconscious.

The rest of the pieces walked off, leaving the floor empty except for the children.

Hermione ran to his side.

"No, no, no, no," she chanted, turning pale.

"Hermione we have to go," Alexandra whispered.

"WE CAN'T LEAVE HIM," she shrieked, teary-eyed..

"And we can't let Snape get the stone," said Harry, face looking like stone. "Alex is right, we have to move on."

"He's breathing Hermione, he'll be fine." Alex said.

She didn't trust the sound of her own voice.

The children were now face-to-face with a ring of fire.

'Can this get any worse?' wondered Alex.

Turned out it could, judging by the riddle in front of them.

'Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,

Two of us will help you, which ever you would find, Two among us seven will let you move ahead,

Another will transport the drinker back instead,

Two among our number hold only nettle wine,

Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line.

Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,

T o help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:

First, however slyly the poison tries to hide

You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;

Second, different are those who stand at either end,

But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;

Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,

Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;

Fourth, the second left and the second on the right

Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.'

"It seems each of the professor's has created a puzzle to protect the stone," said Alex.

"This must be Professor Snape's" remarked Hermione, reading the note.

"Which means Snape isn't after the stone. Harry?"

"If not Snape then someone else," he declared. "Hermione can you solve this?"

Alexandra looked carefully at the vials.

Nettle wine was entirely clear, and had to be kept in a dark bottle, to prevent oxidisation. She grabbed two of the bottles, sniffing them and set them aside.

Two down, six left.

"That's the baneberry potion, sorry, poison." pointed Hermione, putting it beside the nettle wine.

Alexandra smelled it, Hermione was correct.

Five left.

"That one's slug repellent," declared Alex, pulling a short red vial out of the line and setting it aside.

Four to choose from. One more poison.

"Merlin, that's hemlock," said Alex, "I touched it once and was in the hospital wing for a week. Taught Snape to lock his cabinets properly," she laughed.

Now which two would propel them forward?

The answer was obvious, considering the two of them were kept in similar bottles. Except for the fact, they smelt extremely different. A trick to confuse a badly-versed potioneer.

"These two will let us move forward," Alexandra declared. Hermione nodded,

"I'll be staying behind with Ron." she stated.

"Alex?" Harry turned towards his twin.

"There are two vials, you know? Boy-who-lived or no, I'm coming with you."

Hermione's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at the siblings and threw her arms around them.

"Hermione!"

"Harry — you're a great wizard, you know."

"I'm not as good as you," said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him.

"Me!" said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things — friendship and bravery and — oh Harry — be careful!" "And you," she turned towards Alex, "have been the most pompous, arrogant toenail I've ever had the pleasure of meeting."

"Am I supposed to be flattered?"

"No- let me finish- but you've been the biggest help a muggleborn could wish for, don't look at me like that, you're the only reason the Slytherins have stopped. Please, don't do anything stupid. I'd miss you terribly,"

Hermione downed her vial and got pulled back by an invisible force.

Harry and Alex looked at each other and nodded, downing the drink together.

They walked through the flames unharmed.

Was that Quirrell?

'The magic mirror!' thought Alex, 'No, the mirror of the erised, why was it there?"

"You!" gasped Harry.

Quirrell smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all. "Me," he said calmly. "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potters."

"But I thought — Snape —"

"Severus?"

Quirrell laughed, and it wasn't his usual quivering treble, either, but cold and sharp. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?"

Harry couldn't take it in. This couldn't be true, it couldn't.

"But Snape tried to kill me!"

"No, no, no. I tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a countercurse, trying to save you."

Alex thought muttering an I-told-you-so would be ill timed.

"Snape was trying to save me?"

"Of course," said Quirrell coolly. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny ,really...he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular..."

Alex had a feeling this was far more sinister than it seemed.

"What business do you have with the stone?" she demanded. "We know that's what you're after."

"Not me, dear child."

Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Harry. "You're too nosy to live, Potters. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone."

"You let the troll in?" asked Alex shocked.

"Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls — you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off — and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly."

He started looking at the mirror.

"You're working for Voldemort." Harry whispered, face draining of colour.

'He is with me wherever I go,' said Quirrell quietly. 'I met him when I travelled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it ... Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me.'

'The Gringotts break in?' Alex mused, that must have been him.

"This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this...but he's in London...I'll be far away by the time he gets back..."

Far away? No, no, no, no, no-

"I saw you and Snape in the forest —" he blurted out.

Was he trying to distract Quirrell?

"Yes," said Quirrell idly, walking around the mirror to look at the back. "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me — as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side..."Quirrell came back out from behind the mirror and stared hungrily into it.

That was strange, most of Voldemort's followers wouldn't dare call him by his name.

"I see the Stone...I'm presenting it to my master...but where is it?"

"But Snape always seemed to hate Harry so much." Alex played along.

"Oh, he does," said Quirrell casually, "heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead."

Of course Alex knew about his vendetta against James Potter, you should never doubt a five-year-olds memory, but if a distraction was what was needed until the adults came in...

Quirrell cursed under his breath.

"I don't understand...is the Stone inside the mirror? Should I break it?"

Harry tried to break through the ropes, tripping.

Luckily Quirrell was busy.

"What are you doing?" Alexandra hissed, "Are you trying to catalyse our funerals?"

"I have an idea, trust me!"

Trust? If his plan goes wrong they would be dead! DEAD!

Alex nodded.

"What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!"

And to the children's horror, a voice answered, and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself.

"Use the boy...Use the boy..."

Quirrell rounded on Harry. "Yes — Potter-boy — come here." He clapped his hands once, and the ropes binding Harry fell off. Harry got slowly to his feet.

"Come here," Quirrell repeated. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see."

Harry shuffled to the front, and Alex noticing the ropes were looser, slashed at them with her wand.

"Diffindo, diffindo," she whispered, as Quirrell was talking to Harry.

Quirrell moved close behind him. She needed to hurry.

She didn't care about or trust hi hare-brained plans, he was most certainly going to die.

And it was not going to be because she didn't try and stop it.

"Well?" said Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?"

"I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," he lied. "I — I've won the house cup for Gryffindor."

That's a bad lie Harry, thought Alex. Why couldn't he just say he saw their parents, unless...

YES! There was a slight bulge in Harry's pocket.

How on Earth did the stone get there?

Quirrell cursed again. "Get out of the way," he said.

But he hadn't walked five paces before a high voice spoke, though Quirrell wasn't moving his lips.

"He lies...He lies..."

"Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell me the truth! What did you just see?"

The high voice spoke again. "Let me speak to him...face-to-face..."

"Master, you are not strong enough!"

"I have strength enough...for this..."

Alex felt as if Devil's Snare was rooting her to the spot. She couldn't move a muscle. Petrified, she watched as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban. What was going on? The turban fell away. Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the spot.

Alex stifled a gasp, cutting away the last of her rope, surely that wasn't-

"Harry Potter..." it whispered. Harry tried to take a step backward but his legs wouldn't move. "See what I have become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapor...I have form only when I can share another's body...but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds...Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks...you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest...and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own...Now...why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"

He knew, oh Harry was definitely going to die.

Then Voldemort turned on her.

"Don't let your brother be a fool," snarled the face. "Better save your own life and join me...or you'll meet the same end as your parents...They died begging me for mercy..."

"LIAR!" Harry shouted suddenly

"Harry, just give him the stone," Alex pleaded.

Harry looked at her as if she had betrayed him. In a way, she might've.

"Listen to the girl..." it hissed. "I always value smart people...Yes, boy, your parents were stupid...I killed your father first; and he put up a courageous fight...but your mother needn't have died...she was trying to protect you...stupidly...Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain."

"NEVER!"

Alex saw Harry spring toward the flame door, but Voldemort screamed "SEIZEHIM!" and the next second, Alex saw Quirrell's hand close on his wrist. Harry yelled, struggling with all his might, and to his surprise, Quirrell let go of him.

There was only one way this would end.

"OPPUGNO AVIS!" Alexandra casted, as a flurry of birds started pecking Quirell-Voldemort.

"Seize him! SEIZE HIM!" shrieked Voldemort again eyes being pecked by the angry birds, and Quirrell lunged, knocking Harry clean off his feet landing on top of him, both hands around Harry's neck, yet she could see Quirrell howling in agony.

"Master, I cannot hold him — my hands — my hands!"

Did Harry manage to burns Quirrell's hands? Impressive wandless magic.

"Then kill him, fool, and be done!" screeched Voldemort.

Quirrell raised his hand to perform the killing curse, but Alex, by instinct, disarmed him, with a strong 'Expelliarmus', shocking him enough for Harry to grab his face.

Quirrell rolled off him, his face blistering, too, and then Alex knew; Quirrell couldn't touch Harry's bare skin, not without suffering terrible pain.

Harry jumped to his feet, caught Quirrell by the arm, and hung on as tight as he could. Quirrell screamed and tried to throw Harry off — the pain in Harry's head was building — he couldn't see — he could only hear Quirrell's terrible shrieks and Voldemort's yells of, "KILL HIM! KILL HIM!" and other voices, maybe in Harry's own head, crying, "Harry! Harry!"

Alex was shrieking at top of her lungs, as she saw Quirrell being burnt to death and Harry slowly lose consciousness.

When Quirrell lay limp, Alex knew he was dead.

Alex ran to Harry, who had his hands wrapped tightly around Quirrell's, and checked for his pulse.

He was alive.

Alex let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and screamed for help. A dead man on one side, her unconscious brother on the other.

She started to cry.

Her eyes felt too heavy, her wrists sore from cutting through the ropes. What if Harry goes to Azkaban for killing Quirrell? Granted, it was in self defense, but Wizarding law wasn't best known for being... fair.

And somehow, she too, had managed to pass out from exhaustion on top of Harry when the Professor's found them.

That's the action scene done folks!